If you’ve been reading my reviews and interviews on EDMTunes over the last couple of years, you already know how much I love the Colorize family. The label has become a home for some of the most emotional and forward-thinking melodic music in the scene, and it’s been incredible to watch its artists continue to grow.
One name I’ve been telling people to pay attention to is Jack Willard. Over the last year, he has emerged as one of Colorize’s fastest-rising talents. Through releases like ‘Big Sky,’ ‘Everything All At Once,’ and most recently his single ‘Waiting,’ he continues to craft emotional, melody-driven records that linger long after the final note fades.
I caught Jack live during the Colorize North America Tour in 2025 and immediately connected with the honesty and emotion in his music. In 2026, he took that momentum nationwide, bringing his sound to audiences across the United States while building toward his biggest milestone yet: his debut album, Echoes. Ahead of the album’s release, I sat down with Jack to trace his artistic journey, dive into the making of Echoes, share the lessons that shaped his growth, and reveal how leaning into songwriting ultimately helped him find his true voice.
The Interview
(Please note, the bolded text represents a question, while the paragraph(s) are Jack’s responses to them)
For anyone discovering your music for the first time, who is Jack Willard and what should they know about you as an artist?
Right now I’m sitting on my couch in Massachusetts, hydrating with a sports drink after a run. My dog is sleeping next to his hedgehog toy. I just got back from shows in SF, Denver, and Seattle, and I just put out a new track called ‘Waiting,’ which is part of my upcoming album, Echoes.
Music has been a huge part of my life since I was a kid. Working on music is how I relax and unwind. In my sessions, I’m always chasing those moments that make the hair stand up on your neck or tickle your brain in a way you didn’t expect. I started this project in 2022, and I really hit my stride once I stopped trying to produce tracks and started focusing on writing songs.
When did you first decide that creating a debut album was something you wanted to pursue, and how did the project begin?
Around the time I was wrapping up my last EP, Patterns, I sketched out 20 different piano ideas and shared them with the team at Colorize. I was pleasantly surprised when I got back half a dozen different vocals that the team had sourced. I began working them into full demos.
Around the same time, I was diving deep into sound design and made over 200 patches for software synth called Serum. This gave me a foundational palette of original sounds to use across the project.
Soon after, the team and I realized we had enough material for a full-length album and decided to make a go for it.
What inspired you to create a full-length album at this point in your career, and why does now feel like the right time?
I think the people who care the most about the music still appreciate a body of work they can really dive into. It feels like a way to reward the people who have been supporting me thus far. The album gave me the space to stretch out and explore different sounds that I haven’t covered before, which was exciting and challenging.
When you listen back to your earliest productions, what stands out to you the most about where you were creatively at the time?
I think the first beat I ever made was on super old software called Mixcraft. It was a bootleg of a Beatles song, a Röyksopp song, and a Led Zeppelin song. I listened to it the other day, and it’s actually kind of a cool little beat. I think it goes to show that limitations and using fewer elements can actually be pretty powerful creatively. The idea itself is still more important than any technical knowledge I’ve gained over the years.
Was there a particular release, experience, or turning point that helped shape the direction your music would eventually take?
I think ‘Big Sky’ was a turning point. People really resonated with that track. It was my first song to get played regularly on SiriusXM, which helped a lot of people find my music. It was also my first release with Colorize, who have been incredibly supportive of me and are the label I’m releasing the album with. I think the album echoes familiar elements of my previous work like ‘Big Sky,’ while bridging into new territory.
What does your creative process typically look like when you’re starting a new track?
For the album, most of the productions started with piano chords. When working with vocalists in particular, I’ve typically started with chords alone and then built the rest of the instrumental around their vocal. In some cases, like with ‘Searching For You,’ I’ll rework the chords after hearing the vocal if I’m inspired to, or if I feel like I can get more emotion from the vocal.
One of the tracks actually came from showing my wife how Ableton works. I was showing her, “Here I’d start with piano, then I’d add a kick, then I’d add a synth hook,” etc. Within 20 minutes, I had the original demo that I sent to Matthew Adam Green, which became ‘Move With Soul.’
It goes to show that your best work come when you’re not thinking too hard and get into a flow state. I guess we ought to try that again sometime!
What’s been the most challenging track or project you’ve worked on so far, and what made it such a challenge?
This album, without a doubt. I’ve had to flex new muscles on this album that I didn’t really have a ton of experience with before.
For example, I had a lot of vocals to work with. Vocal production is an entire art form in itself. My friend Jeff from Coastlines was a huge help with the vocal mixdowns on multiple tracks and showed me some new tricks for working with big vocal stacks.
I handled the final mixdown of every track, which by the end was a bit maddening. Thankfully, I had a lot of help from my collaborators and my A&R team throughout the process.
Without giving too much away, what can listeners expect from the album that they may not have heard from you before?
There are some bigger “club energy” moments on the album that I’ve gotten great reactions to playing live. This is a sound that I’m really excited to explore further in the future.
There are also some more left field broken-beat-style tracks that were a lot of fun to produce and are different from anything I’ve done before.
Looking back, is there a collaboration that stands out as a personal favourite, and what made that experience special?
This was a very collaborative project, and I’m super grateful for all the artists who contributed to it.
I’ve had the privilege of working with MØØNE on multiple tracks now. She’s such a talented artist. I remember hearing her vocal over the instrumental for ‘Everything All At Once’ for the first time and getting goosebumps. I still do if I haven’t played it in a while. The same thing goes for this upcoming record, and I’m excited for people to hear it.
Is there an artist, producer, or vocalist you’d love to collaborate with in the future, and what do you think you’d bring out in each other’s music?
Madonna fits perfectly. I think it would be great exposure for her.
You can only bring three albums to a desert island. Which ones make the cut, and why? What are they?
Being pragmatic, I’d need some variety. If compilations are allowed, I’m picking Now That’s What I Call Music! Vol. 3. You get Smash Mouth, Blink-182, Limp Bizkit, and Enrique Iglesias all on one volume.
If that’s against the rules, today I’m taking Physical Graffiti by Led Zeppelin, In Rainbows by Radiohead, and Random Album Title by deadmau5. Ask me again tomorrow.
If anyone reading this has the misfortune of getting stranded on an island, you’ll want to make sure you have at least three copies of my upcoming album, Echoes.
I hope this read has left you wanting to hear more from Jack Willard, you won’t have to wait much longer. Echoes is available for pre-order on vinyl now, giving fans the opportunity to own a piece of a milestone moment in his career. And if you’re in New York City this weekend, catch Jack live at 1 Hotel Brooklyn on the 22nd of August. Grab tickets and find more event information here.
I’ve been a fan of Jack’s music for a while now, so getting the chance to sit down and chat with him ahead of Echoes was a real treat. What stood out most wasn’t just the amount of work that went into the album, but how intentional he was about every part of the process. That passion comes through in the music. If Echoes is any indication of where Jack Willard is headed next, his fans have a lot to look forward to.
